Recipe: Stuffed Dates

January 3, 2012Marci EvansGeneral Interest

One of my all time favorite restaurants, Upstairs on the Square, serves these incredible stuffed dates. They come out warm from the oven and taste absolutely heavenly. I LOVE dates. The sweet, chewy gooeyness is to die for if you ask me. I know they aren’t super popular in the U.S. but give them a try! Since I can’t march on over to Upstairs on the Square every time I’m having a stuffed date craving, I decided to make my own batch. And let me say, I impressed myself! They make a great party appetizer or fun/unique snack to shake things up a bit. The savory creamy cheese is a delightful match for the chewy sweetness of the date. Plus it’s a nice balance of carbs (for energy) and fat/protein for satisfaction and staying power.

The recipe below is a blending of a couple of recipes I found online. If you Google “stuffed dates” you’ll see there’s a ton of options. So get creative!

Ingredients

24 (or so) Medjool Dates– you can get these at most grocery stores, slice in half and remove the pit

Goat Cheese Log, I think around 6 oz (or any other soft cheese you like)

Fresh lemon juice, one lemon’s worth

2 T honey

2 tsp fresh lemon zest

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees before you are serving. You’ll want to heat just before serving them up. But they also keep well in the fridge. They can be eaten at any temperature, I just love them warm.

1. Slice the dates, but keep the halves intact on one side. You want to remove the pit but don’t want two separate halves.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients until silky smooth.

3. Line the dates in a baking dish and fill with a couple tsps of the cheese mixture.

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